Towards a Definition of Pagan Music

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Submitted Manuscript (SM)
Author(s)
Weston, Donna
Bennett, Andy
Year published
2013
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In 1993, the rst international Pagan studies conference was held, bringing together scholars from all over the world in elds as diverse as psychology, theology and ecology. In Researching Paganisms, published in 2004, Blain, Ezzy and Harvey cite multiplicity as central to the discipline of Pagan studies, and note that just as contemporary Paganisms are still evolving, so are the methodologies and approaches of those who choose to study them. Popular music studies is one area in which Pagan studies activity is only just emerging, yet – as seen in a Pagan history of celebration and story-telling through music – it is a voice ...
View more >In 1993, the rst international Pagan studies conference was held, bringing together scholars from all over the world in elds as diverse as psychology, theology and ecology. In Researching Paganisms, published in 2004, Blain, Ezzy and Harvey cite multiplicity as central to the discipline of Pagan studies, and note that just as contemporary Paganisms are still evolving, so are the methodologies and approaches of those who choose to study them. Popular music studies is one area in which Pagan studies activity is only just emerging, yet – as seen in a Pagan history of celebration and story-telling through music – it is a voice through which Paganism might readily be expressed. Indeed, as this book explores, popular music has already proved a highly e ective medium for the articulation of Pagan ideology and aesthetics. A diverse range of genres, from folk through punk and Goth to heavy metal, frequently embodies images and discourses drawn from Paganism. Similarly, a number of popular music artists profess a deep-seated investment in and expression of Paganism and Pagan identity through their music.
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View more >In 1993, the rst international Pagan studies conference was held, bringing together scholars from all over the world in elds as diverse as psychology, theology and ecology. In Researching Paganisms, published in 2004, Blain, Ezzy and Harvey cite multiplicity as central to the discipline of Pagan studies, and note that just as contemporary Paganisms are still evolving, so are the methodologies and approaches of those who choose to study them. Popular music studies is one area in which Pagan studies activity is only just emerging, yet – as seen in a Pagan history of celebration and story-telling through music – it is a voice through which Paganism might readily be expressed. Indeed, as this book explores, popular music has already proved a highly e ective medium for the articulation of Pagan ideology and aesthetics. A diverse range of genres, from folk through punk and Goth to heavy metal, frequently embodies images and discourses drawn from Paganism. Similarly, a number of popular music artists profess a deep-seated investment in and expression of Paganism and Pagan identity through their music.
View less >
Book Title
Pop Pagans: Paganism and Popular Music
Publisher URI
Copyright Statement
© 2013 Taylor & Francis. This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in Pop Pagans: Paganism and Popular Music on 31 May 2013, available online: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315729688
Subject
Musicology and ethnomusicology